What is a typical Enrich session like?
Enrich activities are designed to provide a little additional stretch and challenge, to encourage development of cross-curricular skills, including literacy or numeracy and to generate even more enthusiasm for science.
The following example is a Key Stage 2 Cross-Curricular activity, which covers elements from Science, Mathematics and Geography.
This activity presents pupils with a crime scene involving muddy footprints on a carpet. They must identify the culprit and in doing so, they learn about the work of different types of scientist and investigate soil and leaf litter organisms.
CSI Soils
This Enrich session will consolidate content from the programmes of study as shown above, with a focus on
Applying knowledge to unfamiliar examples
Developing investigative skills
Making connections between different subject skills
Bringing the theory to life using an engaging context
An introductory session in the class barn will be followed by a farm walk, where soil and leaf litter will be collected. After the walk, whilst we wait for leaf litter organisms to emerge from the Tullgren funnel, the investigation is carried out.
This session works very effectively in school as well as on the farm. The photographs on this page were taken at the Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester, where the activity took place as part of the Science Fair in Autumn 2015.
The Crime Scene
There is a new carpet in the farmhouse sitting room.
It is cream.
It is beautiful.
It is soft.
It is……oh no!
It is covered with muddy footprints!
Was it Jasper?
No - these marks do not come from muddy paws.
They come from muddy wellington boots.
Footprints that lead from the farmyard, across the sitting room and into the kitchen.
Someone must have left their work and gone into the farmhouse without removing their boots
But who is the culprit?